Saturday, March 01, 2014

The Ergun Caner affair saddens me deeply. Dr. Caner is an excellent orator. He has great delivery - great timing - and he knows how to get a laugh. I had hoped that the investigations made of Dr. Caner's alleged autobiographical embellishments would lead Dr. Caner to confess that he had sinned, to repent of that sin, and to try to make amends for what he had done.

I was not a fan of Caner's soteriological views before this affair came to light. Still, when a Muslim began accusing Caner of various things, I immediately came out in support of Caner and pointed out the triviality of some of the criticisms (mispronunciations of words, for example) and the absurdity of some of the claims (that Caner was never a Muslim). I even argued that a person who was named "Ergun Mehmet Caner" must certainly have been from a Muslim family. Little did I know that I had been misled regarding his name - Ergun Michael Caner was not who I had thought.

I believe it was the video of Caner saying that he was born in Istanbul (next to another one saying he was born in Stockholm) that opened my eyes. So, I began to address the issues in the hopes of restoring a man who I thought was a brother in Christ. I hoped that bringing these issues to light might persuade Caner to come clean - to correct the mistakes he made. He even appeared to be taking a step in that direction, when he issued an apology that referred to various misstatements. Unfortunately, it is hard to accept that the embellishments were just accidental misstatements.

While the investigation went on and quickly concluded at Liberty, I watched and hoped for Caner to repent. People encouraged me by suggesting that he might have possibly signed some kind of non-discussion deal with Liberty, requiring him to remain silent for a time. I was also encouraged to note that a lot of the embellishments that had come to light were not continued after mid-2010 (as far as we could tell).

I also tried to convince myself that Caner had altruistic reasons for these embellishments. They do make his stories more interesting and - until one discovers the truth - quite compelling. I convinced myself that Caner might have begun the embellishments as an attempt to get people fired up about the problem of Islam. I figured Caner may have made the "one anonymous high school boy" story more exciting to get high school kids willing and motivated to share the gospel.

Some have even suggested that Caner made himself appear as he did to try to win the Muslims. Unfortunately, I don't see any evidence that Dr. Caner reached out to the Muslims to any large extent. Almost all of these embellishments were presented to primarily professing Christian audiences.

The fall-out has been big. The original Muslim critic who calls his site "fake ex muslims" still seems to want to argue that Ergun Caner was never a Muslim at all. But surely Caner probably did say the shahada at some point. His father was a serious enough Muslim that he legally changed his middle name from Martin to Mehmet. Moreover, his father left his three Christian sons Korans in his will.

So then - why this post? I still hold out hope that God will stir Caner's conscience and he will repent and be restored. Maybe if he confronts himself with the facts that his comments were repeated - not one-time slips of the tongue - he will realize he owes his "critics" an apology.

A. Autobiographical Statements

Caner's real name is Ergun Michael Caner. On many occasions, however, he has referred to himself as though "Mehmet" were his middle name. He even did that on books that were published after September 11.

a) Short Version ("Ergun Mehmet Caner")

So he claimed at Bell Shoals (link).
So he claimed at Liberty Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Southwest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed at Olive Baptist (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed at FBC Mount Vernon (link), while noting that "Mehmet" was something he took on later.
So he claimed at West Cabarrus Church (link).
So he claimed to Janet Parshall (link).
So he claimed to the students at SBTS (link).

b) Long Version ("Ergun Michael Mehmet Giovanni Caner" or something close to that)

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
\So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

Based on the evidence we've located, Ergun Michael Caner began to use the alias "Ergun Mehmet Caner" shortly after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Caner at other times used an even more extravagant alleged full name of something sounding like "Ergun Michael Mehmet Giovanni Caner."

2. Ancestry / Religion

Ergun has made a number of claims about his ancestry over the years. From what we have been able to determine, Caner's mother is Swedish and his father was Turkish. He has also made various claims about his religious upbringing.

a. 100% Turkish / Fully Turkish / Turkish Parents

Caner has sometimes claimed to have been 100% Turkish. In fact, I'm told that even this year he has made such a claim. I believe some of his supporters have claimed that although Caner's mother was Swedish, her parents had adopted her and she was genetically Turkish.

So he claimed with Tom McCall.
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed to Pastor Lloyd (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link) (example of the "fully Turkish").
So he claimed at Baptist General Conference of Oklahoma (link).
So he claimed to Janet Parshall (link).

b. Persian

Caner has sometimes claimed to have Persian ancestry (for example, on iTBN).

b. (Always) Lived in "Majority" Muslims Locations

So he claimed at SBTS in front of Mohler (link).
So he claimed in From Islam to Christianity (link)
So he claimed in "My Conversion from Islam to Christianity (link)
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed on the Lee Strobel Testimony video (link).
So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).

c. Lived in Istanbul / "From Istanbul"

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he apparently claimed at Thomas Road Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed at the International Missions Conference (link).

d. Born in Turkey or Born in Istanbul

So he claimed to Harold Hendrick (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).

e. Raised in a Madrasa in Istanbul

f. "My Madrassa in Istanbul" and "My Madrassa in Cairo" "Before we came to America"
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).

g. Came as a Missionary to You / Came to Build Mosques

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed to Richard Land (link).
So he claimed at the California Christian Apologetics Conference 2006 (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
So he claimed at Baptist General Conference of Oklahoma (link).
So he claimed at the International Missions Conference (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed at West Cabarrus Church (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
So he claimed to the students at SBTS (link).

j. Was counseled on Marriage before Coming to US

k. Learned About America from Andy Griffith before coming to US

So he claimed at SBTS in front of Mohler (link).
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Southwest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed in his lecture, "Don't mess with the book" (link).
So he claimed in San Diego (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

l. Learned About America from Dukes of Hazzard (wanted to marry Daisy Duke)

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Southwest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed on the Rick and Bubba Show (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).

m. Watched Wrestling on Tapes Imported to Turkey

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

n. Viewed America, "all our lives," as "Oz" where money could be made quickly

q. Came to America at age 12

r. Came to America "when I was 13 years old"

So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).

t. Came to America in our teenage years or as a teenage boy or "in my teens" or "in my young teens"

So he claimed to Richard Land (link).
So he claimed to Pastor Lloyd (link).
So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

u. Came to America "entering high school"

So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).

v. Came to America in 1978 / during the Iran Crisis / "It was 1979" / somehow connected with Ayatollah Khomeini

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at the California Christian Apologetics Conference 2006 (link).
So he claimed to Zola Levitt (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed to Pastor Lloyd (link).
So he claimed in a book edited by Norman Geisler (link).
So he claimed on the Rick and Bubba Show (link).
So he claimed at GGBTS (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

4. Age at alleged Conversion

In "Unveiling Islam," the brothers claim that Emir was saved on "November 4, 1982," which was "the following year" from when Ergun was saved. That would mean that Ergun was saved in 1981, when he 14 (if it was before November 3, 1981) or barely 15. (see a special post on this topic) At the Master's College the conversion of the brothers is said to be "in the years that followed" (link).

Ergun Caner graduated high school in the Spring of 1984. So, if he was converted in 1982, that would imply either the second half of his sophomore year, or the first half of his junior year. If he was converted in 1981, that would imply either the first half of his sophomore year, or the second half of his freshman year. Ergun Caner was born November 3, 1966, so he would have been 16 on November 4, 1982 and 15 on November 4, 1981.

a. November 4, 1982 or just 1982

So he claimed on the Lee Strobel Testimony video (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed at Baptist General Conference of Oklahoma (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

b. Did Not See Father for 17 Years (puts post-conversion disowning at 1982)

So he claimed at the National Conference on Christian Apologetics 2013 (link).

c. "Late in Life" or "Later in Life"

So he claimed at the 2013 Summer Bible Conference (link).
So he claimed at the Buffalo Baptist Church 2013 Easter Sermon (link).
So he claimed at Bell Shoals (link).
So he claimed at West Cabarrus Church (link).

d. "Three years to enter the church" (seemingly implying the fourth is when he entered) or "for three years" said no or Jerry Tackett kept coming "for three years"

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Thomas Road Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).
So he claimed at Southcrest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

e. "Three and a half years"/ "Over Three Years" / "Almost Four Years" / "Four Years" into High School

So he claimed at the 2013 Summer Bible Conference (link).
So he claimed at Bell Shoals (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed at the Value Voters Summit 2009 (link).
So he claimed on the Rick and Bubba Show (link).
So he claimed at Olive Baptist (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed at FBC Mount Vernon (link).
So he claimed at the Shades Mountain Missions Conference 2010 (link).

f. Brothers saved one year later and/or while Caner was in College and/or Caner was in College one year (or eight months) after conversion

So he claimed at the 2013 Summer Bible Conference (link).
So he claimed on the Pastor's Perspective (link).
So he claimed at Bell Shoals (link).
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed to Richard Land (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed at West Cabarrus Church (link).
So he claimed at the Shades Mountain Missions Conference 2010 (link).
So he claimed at Southcrest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed to the students at SBTS (link).

g. "Senior Year" / "going into my Senior Year" / "Senior"

So he claimed in his testimony at Free CD Tracts (link).
So he claimed in "Why I am not a Muslim" (link).
So he claimed at Liberty Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed on Issues Etc. (link).
So he claimed at Southwest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed in San Diego (link).
So he claimed at GGBTS (link).
So he claimed at the International Missions Conference (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed at FBC Mount Vernon (link).
So he claimed at Southcrest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

h. "almost my senior year"

i. Evangelism of Caner began his sophomore year

j. "almost in college" or "going into college"

So he claimed in PHIL104 (link)
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Campus Church (link).
So he claimed at Southwest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at FBC Mount Vernon (link).

k. Read through Bible as "Young Boy".

So he claimed on iTBN (link).
(I have neglected to post the places where Ergun Caner said he went to a revival, because he thought it was "re-bible," and he had never touched a Bible.)

l. "17 Years of my life" as a Muslim or "17 years old"

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).

m. "17 and a half"

n. "almost 18" / "17 going on 18"

So he claimed to Richard Land (link).
So he claimed at Baptist General Conference of Oklahoma (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

o. "18 Years of my life" he thought Christians hated him or he was immersed in Islam or he was 18 for his first Easter or he hated us until he was 18 or he first entered a church at age 18

So he claimed on iTBN (link).
So he claimed at Buffalo Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed in PHIL104 (link)
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
So he claimed to Janet Parshall (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

p. "18 years old, foot-long Muslim mullet hanging off the back of my head"

So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).

v."late teens"

w. "Summer of the Year between my Junior and my Senior Year"

x. Both his brothers got saved at his first sermon

So he claimed in "My Conversion from Islam to Christianity (link)
So he claimed at his Prestonwood sermon (link).
So he seemed to claim at Liberty Baptist Church (link).
So he seemed to claim at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).

y. Heard the Gospel before he came to America?

1) Yes
So he claimed on Issues Etc. (link).
2) No
So he claimed to Zola Levitt (link).

5. Studied Jihad

Caner has seemed to suggest over the years that he was trained in jihad. His claims:

He was taught jihad al-asghar in Columbus, or so he claimed at the 2013 Summer Bible Conference (link).

He was a "jihadeen" / "mujihadeen" / "training in madrassa was three generations deep as a jihadeen" / "sworn to jihad at the age of 9" or so he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).

He was taught to convert by the sword, or so he claimed on Issues Etc. (link).

So he seemingly claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link) with reference to a "Madras".

So he seemingly claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link) by saying that he was "assuming that I was going to die for Allah."

He was in the Islamic Youth Jihad in Ohio and Turkey, or so he claimed to Richard Land (link).

He was in the Islamic Youth Jihad with his brothers, or so he claimed to Zola Levitt (link).

He was a "jahideen", or so he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link) or a "jihadeen" as he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link) and at the International Missions Conference (link).

He would be "behind you, and up to no good" if he had not been saved, or so he claimed at the International Missions Conference (link).

6. Arabic Knowledge

Dr. Caner has alleged or suggested knowledge of the Arabic language on a number of occasions. these claims don't seem justified (see this discussion from Dr. White and his Arabic tutor). While Dr. Caner clearly has memorized some Arabic phrases and words, I don't think he himself would claim to be able to translate Arabic today.

a. Claimed to Translate Arabic Language Document

Claimed to translate a fatwa (with his brother), as analyzed here (link).

c. Speaking Apparent Gibberish, Supposedly Arabic

So he did at SBTS in front of Mohler (link).
So he did at Superconference 2005 (link)
So he did at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he did at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he did on the Rick and Bubba Show (link).
So he did at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he did multiple times to the Marine Corps (link).

Here's a nice comparison of two clips allegedly of the same phrase (link) regarding what is supposedly written on a wall of a mosque in Kabul.

d. Referred to Turkish (with Arabic) as "Our Language"

e. Suggested he Understood American Television based on Captions while in Turkey

8. "We Dressed Differently"?

Caner has claimed that prior to his conversion he dressed in a way that was distinctively different from typical Americans, such as wearing Keffiyah, wearing robes, and so on. On the other hand, most of the pictures we find of him and his father show him wearing typical American clothing (Link to Counter-evidence including response to Geisler's attempted defense). (Sadly, Caner seems to be making it sound like this was his normal outfit back in the day.)

So he claimed in "My Conversion from Islam to Christianity (link)
So he claimed at Liberty Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at the California Christian Apologetics Conference 2006 (link).
So he claimed at Thomas Road Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed on the Lee Strobel Testimony video (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed to Pastor Lloyd (link).
So he claimed at the Value Voters Summit 2009 (link).
So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).
So he claimed in San Diego (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).
So he claimed to the students at SBTS (link).

10. Regarding his Father

Caner seems to enjoy making his father seem very important. I don't personally recall him saying his father was an imam, but Caner compared himself to a preacher's kid (PK) (sorry, I haven't included that one in this list).

i) A Muezzin
So he claimed on Issues Etc. (link).
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link) (even claimed he climbed a minaret).
So he claimed at the California Christian Apologetics Conference 2006 (link) (claimed he climbed a minaret).
So he claimed to Pastor Lloyd (link).
So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

In "Unveiling Islam," the brothers claim that "Father did the call to prayer on occasion." (p. 17) One assumes that this is the true story.

ii) "An Ulema" (sic)
So he claimed at SBTS in front of Mohler (link).
So he claimed in the LouRugg foreword (link)
So he claimed on Issues Etc. (link).
So he claimed at the Value Voters Summit 2009 (link).
So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).
So he claimed on the Rick and Bubba Show (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).

iii) A Hadithic Scholar
So he claimed at SBTS in front of Mohler (link).

c. Architect (or Civil Engineer)?

Caner has repeatedly claimed that his father was an architect, but the evidence we've located has not corroborated this assertion (link to discussion of the topic).

So he claimed at Thomas Road Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed to Pastor Lloyd (link).
So he claimed in a book edited by Norman Geisler (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link). (including claim to have worked on a mosque in Brooklyn and in Toledo)
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
So he claimed to the students at SBTS (link).

e. Built Mosques?

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link) (but he didn't seem to know that mosques have minbars in another message at the same church)
So he claimed to Richard Land (link), including claiming to have built them in Toledo and Columbus, Ohio (see this special item regarding the Toledo mosque).
So he claimed at Thomas Road Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed to Pastor Lloyd (link).
So he claimed at Baptist General Conference of Oklahoma (link).
So he claimed at FBC Mount Vernon (link).

f. Surrounded by Caliphats (sic) at his death?

g. Father's "Wives" / Polygamy

One of the claims he made about his father is that his father had "other wives" besides Caner's mother or "many wives." While it appears Caner's father did remarry after divorcing, there does not appear to be any way to substantiate these seeming allegations of polygamy.i) His father had "more than one wife at a time"
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).ii) His father had three wives
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).

i) His father had "many wives"
So he claimed in From Islam to Christianity (link)
So he claimed to Richard Land (link).
So he claimed in his lecture, "Don't mess with the book" (link).
So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).

ii) His father had "multiple wives"
So he claimed to Richard Land (link).

iii) His father had "other wives"
So he claimed in "My Conversion from Islam to Christianity (link)
So he claimed at Southwest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed to Pastor Lloyd (link).
So he claimed at the Value Voters Summit 2009 (link).
So he claimed at FBC Pearl City (link).

iv) His Mom discovered his father was married to more than one woman
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).

v) His Father immigrated with wives (sometimes with reference to Abraham lie)
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at the California Christian Apologetics Conference 2006 (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).

vi) His Father's "Second Wife" convinced the brothers to visit their dying father
So he claimed in Unveiling Islam (link)

vii) His Father Divorced his Mother because the Father blamed her for the Sons' (or Ergun's) Conversion
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).

11. Mother Issues

Sometimes, Caner has portrayed his mother as though she were a devout or practicing Muslim. She may have been for a while, but Emir's accounts portray her as more of a hippy universalist, by the time that Ergun Caner allegedly converted.a. Took off her Hijab or Chador in Baptistry
So he claimed in From Islam to Christianity (link)
So he claimed at the California Christian Apologetics Conference 2006 (link).
So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).

e. Mother was a Sufi
So he seemingly claimed to Richard Land (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).

12. Half-Brothers

We can't find any evidence of Caner having any half-brothers. For example, no such men are found in Acar Caner's will. Nevertheless, Caner has claimed to have them.

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).

13. Half-Sisters "Learning to Read"

In 2005, he claimed his half-sisters were only now learning to read, thanks to the Marines (link). His father died in 1999, and his daughters were probably born significantly before that.

14. Seemingly Unrelated Issues

Not all of Caner's seeming embellishments relate to supposedly being a devout Muslim. The following are some examples of issues where one's eyebrows are raised:a) Fat as a Child?
See the discussion here (link)
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).

b) Father-in-law from "Possum Kill, NC"?
There is a separate post on this subject (link). In short, there does not appear to be such a place. I'm told that when Caner was at Liberty he had some kind of row boat with "Possum Kill" lettered on the side, but I can't confirm that this.

So he claimed at Bell Shoals (link).
So he claimed at Liberty Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Southwest Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed at the North Alabama Bible Conference 2005 (link).
So he claimed at GGBTS (link).
So he claimed at Olive Baptist (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed at FBC Mount Vernon (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
So he claimed at the Shades Mountain Missions Conference 2010 (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

c) First Jobi) Not a Convenience Store
So he claimed at SBTS in front of Mohler (link).
He claimed he didn't work at a convenience store, at Thomas Road Baptist Church (link).ii) A Convenience Store
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
He claimed he worked at a 7-11 to the Marine Corps (link).

d) Roller Skatingi) Overdid it
So he claimed at Fall Chapel 2010 (link)
ii) You can't roller skate in sand
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link)
(See here)

e) Church in which he was Savedi) Doesn't exist any more
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).ii) Still exists
It does apparently exist.

f) Was a Straight C Student in College
So he claimed at GGBTS (link), although he apparently was a Presidential scholar in college. (At Olive Baptist (link) and at West Cabarrus Church (link) he suggested he was a straight C student in high school.)

g) Claimed He was Tasered in a way that was very painful
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).

h) Was "Finishing Up" his Doctorate in 1999
So he claimed at the National Conference on Christian Apologetics 2013 (link).

i) Received his Doctorate in 2001
So he claimed at ErgunCaner.com (link).

B. Debating Claims

There are very few things that Caner has done (that we know of) that could qualify as debates. Apparently, Caner engaged the Rational Response Squad in some kind of dialog some years ago, and apparently Caner had an email exchange with one Muslim apologist. Caner may also have appeared on TV along side a Muslim talking head (although I can't seem to find any such clip of Caner). Aside from this, we are still hoping to find some evidence of Caner actually debating anyone, although Caner does seem to have brought a few speakers into class for an informal dialog (as discussed here). Nevertheless, we see Caner making a number of claims.

1. Formal Debates with Timed Speeches, etc.

Sometimes people have claimed that Caner just meant informal dialogs. On at least one occasion, Caner explicitly described the alleged kind of format of these debates.

2. "I do Debates" or "Muslims ... will debate us" (or similar phrase)

So he claimed with Craig von Buseck (link).
So he claimed on the John Ankerberg Show (link)
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
So he claimed to the students at SBTS (link).

3. Frequent Debates

In a number of places, Caner claims that his life includes a lot of getting yelled at in debates or speaking to hostile crowds.

So he claimed with Tom McCall
So he claimed on iTBN.
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).
So he claimed at GGBTS (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).

7. Debated Imam named "Abi"

8. Debated Ulima and Imams

9. Debated Woman Muslim Scholar

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link). (Allegedly on Wayne Shepherd open line radio / Moody show)
So he claimed at Southwest Baptist Church (link). (Only here he claims it was at the University of Chicago)
So he claimed on the Rick and Bubba Show (link).

10. 41 Debates

So he claimed at SBTS in front of Mohler (link).
So he claimed to the students at SBTS (link).

28. Debated in London and Glasgow

29. About to Debate Hindu (Shaivite) and a "Christian professor" on "Sister Faiths"

C. Incorrect Statements Regarding Islam/Hadith/Koran

One troubling aspect of Caner's autobiography is that he presents himself as a former devout Muslim, steeped in knowledge of Islam, etc. On the other hand, he makes a number of erroneous statements about the Koran, Hadith, and Islamic issues. I haven't even bothered to document all the times he has cited the Hadith as "Hadith 9:57" or the like.

1. Mohammed/Koran Teaches that Ishmael not Isaac was almost killed by Abraham

A number of times, Caner has claimed that the Koran teaches (or Mohammed taught) that Ishmael, rather than Isaac, was nearly sacrificed on the mount. While such a view is widespread among modern Muslims, you can't find that statement in the Koran.

3. Mohammed Didn't Believe we Worship the Same God

Caner sometimes claims (quite correctly) that we don't worship the same deity as Islam. However, Caner has also alleged that Muslims, and at least in one case Mohammed himself, also do not believe this (link to "Secrets of Islam" discussion of this point). Caner is wrong, as far as the Koran is concerned.

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed on the John Ankerberg Show (link)

4. Circumcision is called "Maşallah" in Islam

Actually, that's not the Arabic or Turkish word for circumcision. Moreover, oddly enough, Caner also claimed that was the name of the prayer beads in Islam, on Issues Etc. (link).

5. You're Supposed to say "Inshallah" after You Experience Some Misfortune

As explained at the links, "inshallah" is a forward-looking statement like "Lord willing."

So he claimed in "Why I am not a Muslim" (link).
So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at GGBTS (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

6. Surah 1 has Six Verses

In fact, by the usual Sunni enumeration, it has seven verses.

So he claimed in "Why I am not a Muslim" (link).
So he claimed at GGBTS (link).
So he claimed at the Northwest Baptist Conference (link).
So he claimed at West Cabarrus Church (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

8. Eid al-Fitr is the Commemoration of Abraham's Near-Sacrifice of His Son

9. Ramadan has 40 days?

So he claimed in PHIL104 (link).
So he claimed at Calvary Chapel Old Bridge (link).

It actually has about 29 days. It's a lunar month. It never has 40 days.

10. Abinadab is a Pillar of Islam

This one is a real puzzle, since none of the pillars sound like "abinadab". He seems to use that term to refer to the Shahada, but sometimes later seems to add the Shahada as one of the pillars as well.

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Thomas Road Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at the Master's College (link).
So he claimed to the Marine Corps (link).
So he claimed to the Ohio Free Will Baptists (link).

11. Hadith is Nine Volumes

The English translation of one of the collections is nine volumes, but there are other collections and the entire body of hadith is not complete in those nine volumes.

So he claimed at Ashburn Baptist Church (link).
So he claimed at Southwest Baptist Church (link).

G. Items Not Included

I have omitted a lot of possible material. The things I have not discussed above include (among other things):

Mispronunciation of words, like Sawm (but see discussion here, for example) and curious claims like praying in the locker room (see the discussion here, for example) I also did not include the impression of Caner that Fallwell received and expressed (link to discussion). I did not get into the issue of how many books exactly Caner has published (some discussion on that here) or his qualifications (see discussion here) or credentials (link) or the issue of calling his doctorate from the University of South Africa a PhD (see example here). I didn't discuss Tom Chantry's multipart series comparing Ergun Caner to Stephen Ambrose (link). I didn't discuss Caner's tasering incident, which he mentioned at GGBTS (link). Nor did I get into the issues of his alleged class rank in high school (link). I didn't mention his issues with the Latin language (see the example at this link).

I have not discussed the question of the age of his grandma at her baptism: I believe I've heard 92 (at FBC Mount Vernon and at the National Conference on Christian Apologetics), 93 (at Shades Mountain Independent Church and implicitly at Southcrest Baptist Church), 95 (at FBC Pearl City), and 99.

I have not discussed his profane language as evidence in the videos of his presentations to the Marine Corps (link).

I have not listed the times where Dr. Caner has said that he did not see his dad for "17 years" (one example was at FBC Mount Vernon (link)).

I have not included material regarding his brother Emir, except where they were both speaking or writing together such as at Olive Baptist (link), where Emir acknowledged that "Swedish, that's our native tongue."

I had trouble describing this now-removed video and consequently omitted it from the listings above (link to materials).

I hope that God will use this post for his glory and that it will encourage Dr. Caner to confess, repent, and be restored.

Since Peter Lumpkins is the PR person for Ergun Caner--MAYBE he will write a lengthly response to all of these points.

How can anyone look at all of this evidence and still support Caner? He has not repented and he should not be a president of a Christian college. Shame on all of those involved in the Ergun Caner cover up.

Trustees of Brewton-Parker, I would never send my kids to your college because you lack integrity.

Students of Brewton-Parker, I would ask for a response to all of the lies that are listed in this article.

Thanks much for all the work put into compiling that list of claims. It's a useful resource.

Here's is also another resource of Caner material, in facebook time-line fashion: https://www.facebook.com/ErgunButchCaner?ref=hl.

I believe this whole debacle shows up a fissure in "evangelicalism". It's really not that Caner's defenders and enablers don't know it's true that he lied. It's that they don't care. In their "old time religion" truth is not that important. What matters most is numbers (as in people in the pews or enrollees in the college) and emotion. Those of us who believe in the value of truth keep providing the evidence but it falls on deaf ears when the people listening don't value truth.

Here's is a response I got from a former trustee at Brewton-Parker College who took part in the selection of Ergun Caner, after I sent him a sample of links to Caner videos documenting his lies (in the naive assumption that he simply didn't know:"Dr. Carpenter, I am fully aware of the accusations made against Dr. Caner. As a matter of fact, I just recently rotated off the Board of Trustees for Brewton-Parker, but I was part of the Boardâ€™s unanimous decision to select Dr. Caner as President of the college. Before making my personal decision to vote yes, I carefully viewed and researched many, many statements, articles, etc. in opposition, and in support of Dr. Caner. I have also had several opportunities to sit down with Dr. Caner one-on-one, the most recent being last night. Therefore, my position is to fully support Dr. Caner in anyway I possibly can. His heart is for Brewton-Parker College and its students, and for this community, but most importantly for serving the Lord Jesus Christ and the salvation of people.Your attempts to shed light into any of Dr. Canerâ€™s past statements is totally unnecessary and any attempts to change my opinions of Dr. Caner will not be successful. I would request and appreciate that you immediately cease to send any further emails regarding Dr. Caner to this address. My prayer is that the Lord would bring an end to any attacks on Dr. Caner by anyone, anywhere once and for all. Thank you in advance for respecting my request.

Good post, but Im not sure why you insist that he mustve been a Muslim? Imagine if an American Muslim went to an Arab country and claimed to be an ex-Christian but confused John 316 with the beginning of Genesis and said things like he went an Iglesia and called his Pastor a priest; you would not think of him as much of a Christian just because he had a Christian father his Muslim mother divorced at three. There are plenty of parents who raise their kids be areligious and the regret it later on.

As far as the discussion about the story of Abraham: why would you want Ergun, who is attempting to act like a Sunni Muslim (although I don't think Shias disagree about this), to say it was Prophet Isaac peace be upon him and not Prophet Ismael peace be upon who was to be slaughtered according to Islam? Had he said that it would've been considered another blunder. Plus you are relying on the words on an internet personality for your claim against Islamic sources and consensus; instead, you should at least rely on the works of neutral academics (since we already know what Muslim academics would say) since Ergun isn't going to rely on someone who has less academic standing than him.

I would distinguish between a serious and devout Muslim (there is not evidence that I've seen to persuade me that Ergun was in that category) and a more typical (for America) cultural Muslim. I believe that he said the Shahada at least once, and I believe his father made him say the prayers at least occasionally. Isn't that enough to qualify as "a Muslim"? I acknowledge that I don't know what every school of Islamic thought says about such a subject, but I remember a hadith talking about a man who had 99 scrolls of evil deeds that were outwieghed by the one small paper on which was written the shahada. That account would suggest that simply saying the shahada is enough to be considered a Muslim, and that Allah might even allow such a person to avoid hell.

Please correct me if I am mistaken.

In Christianity, we would not call such a person a Christian, but that's because being a Christian is very different from being a Muslim. Christianity is about trusting in Christ for salvation - Islam is about obeying certain rules (and hoping for Allah's mercy). The different ways of being a Christian and being a Muslim make a direct comparison difficult. By the standards of Christianity, merely cultural Christians who go through the motions are not Christians. But with respect I think one is merely a bad Muslim if one fails to follow the teachings of the Koran and the example of Mohammed, so long as one recites the Shahada.

But if there is something that says a Muslim is only a true Muslim if he is devout etc., please let me know. I rejoice when I learn my errors and am educated.

Regarding Ishmael and Abraham, if Caner had simply said "Islam teaches that Abraham almost sacrificed Ishmael," then there would be no objection.

Or he could have said "My dad told me that Ishmael, not Isaac, was the son of Abraham that was almost sacrificed." Again, it's believable that his father said that - many Muslims today think that.

The problem is that Caner said that the Koran says this. It does not say that. He also claimed that Mohammed taught this. That issue may be the one you dispute (I don't know what you think my source got wrong). My source provides the relevant citations on that point.

Hi Francis, thanks for the balanced and well mannered response that I have come to expect from those with Reformed Theology/Calvinists. If you are not Calvinist then please correct me if I'm wrong because I only recently learned about this distinction when I looked up Ergun Caner.

As far as what God may or may not forgive, then we would say I do not know. However, understanding the hadeeth the way you did would be much like those who criticize Christianity by saying all you have to do is believe and you are saved. We both know that neither religion teaches that.

However, if we take Ergun at face value and say he was a Wahhabi/Sunni, then the mainstream position that simply saying you believe God exists is not enough to be a believer because Satan himself believes God exists. The Shahadah is a testimony of faith like one makes a testimony in court; you openly declare what you believe in your heart which the belief in one God and worshipping him through the teachings of his Prophet Muhammad. So someone saying the Shahadah without believing it is considered a Munafiq which is worse than a simple Kaafir. If you would like more info on this subject, it is usually discussed in the discussions at the beginning of Surat al-Baqarah (Chapter #2) in which the Quran devides the people into believers, disbelievers and Munafiqs and spends more time taking about the dangers of Munafiqs than the first two categories.

Back to the hadeeth, the point of it is to show the mercy of God, it should not be taken as a rule that being a believer will save you from hell as Muslims believe most people, even believers, will go to hell to pay for their sins and God will remove them after paying for their sins.

However, my contention with what you say is that it doesn't matter what Islamic theology says about the issue because Ergun doesn't even know the basics of this discussion we were having. If, for example, Ergun thought that by virtue that he said the shahadah once he was a Muslim the I can see where you're coming from. However, Ergun didn't know what the Shahaadah was, so how can this apply to him?

If you mean he was culturally Muslim, then I'm surprised by that because I thought the whole point was to show that Ergun grew up culturally American and not Muslim or even secularly Turkish. Also, if we want to talk about Islamic theology, the Muslims don't consider people who haven't reached puberty religiously obligated by consensus; there isn't a single Muslim sect that denies this. That means that Ergun's father would've had to have him reaffirm his Islam after say he turned 10 years old which according to what we know due to court documents we know can't be the case.

Im typing this on an Ipad, so please excuse the errors and lack of sources! :)

As far as the issue of the story of Abraham, then again, I'm not sure why it's an issue. First of all, I, as a Muslim, believe the Quran is speaking about Ismael and not Isaaq whether or not the names are explicitly mentioned. Much like many stories in the Quran, only the important things theologically are mentioned. Thats becuase the Quran is not a historical document nor is it a story book; as chapter 2 verse 2 tells us, that the Quran is a book of guidance. So from a Muslim perspective, it would not be incorrect to say the Quran says that; just like it wouldn't be a problem to state that the Quran tells the story of Cane and Abel despite not mentioning them by name.

Btw, I noticed you wrote a few times that "many" Muslims believe it was Ismael which would seem to imply that just as many believe the opposite. Since this story is mentioned every year during the Eid al-Adha sermon (which if you remember Ergun confused wit Eid al-Fitr) you'd think having two mainstream positions like that I wiouldve came across it. And when you take how multicultural the Muslim community is in the west, then such an issue should've come up by now. I was just wondering if you knew some of these Muslims, whether groups or individuals, who held this position.

Also, for the record, I also take issue with the fatwa you quoted from allowing singing in the Mosque. I wont go into it now, but remember, Ergun claims to have been a Wahhabi, which I'm sure you know would not allow any kind of singing in their mosques. As far as the singing that would be allowed in the fatwa you quotes, well those Islamic sings they are talking about are more like chants without instrumental accompaniment. I don't think those are the songs Ergun is talking about.

Thanks for the information regarding "Munafiq." That is a new term for me, something I had not heard before. I will need to consider your point more carefully.

I would like to qualify my comment about "cultural Muslim." I mean that I think Caner's father was approximately as Muslim as most Turkish men were at that time. He was somewhat insistent that his sons be raised in Islam, and he did official change his own middle name from Martin to Mehmet. Likewise, he gave his sons Korans in his will. So, he himself was likely sincere, despite some apparent slip ups (I think you have noted the date of Caner's birth relative to another life event).

With this father, I think Ergun was exposed to Islam and taught some of the basic information. I suspect he was required to memorize Surah Al-Faatiha and the Shahada.

Did he ever really believe it? How could I possibly know for sure? Children look up to their parents and often adopt their views. It seems reasonably that he probably did believe it for a time.

But this idea that he was a devout, knowledgeable Muslim - no I can't see how such a person could not know the length of Ramadan.

I think at this point we have to agree to disagree but if you want to say he was a Muslim then I guess, but I do think you are assuming quite a bit that Ergun's father taught him the Shahada and the Fatiha, I would say it's far more likely that he did not. I would say that your knowledge of Islam is more than his which doesn't make sense if he had at least some Islamic upbringing. I personally do not think that he thought he was converting to Christianity from Islam, rather I think he just started going to church. Remember his parents were Turkish and Swedish, its just as likely that he thought he was an atheist who became a Christian. I know a friend of my step dad who married an atheist woman and raised his son much like I would imagine Ergun's father would've raised him. His son lived his life in the states as an atheist, but when he wanted to get married in a church, suddenly his father had a problem with it.

As far as the 40 days, I have an alternative opinion now that I've seen the statement in context. I believe that he may have known that Ramadan was 29/30 days (I know he's not a real academic, but any C level student can do a simple Google search), but he chose to do present it that way to compare Islam to Catholicism. He knew that his audience is ignorant and he played on that; I've seen plenty of people say that it doesn't matter if Ergun lied about his background because they learned so much about Islam from him.

I want to add another point; is that Ergun has said more offensive things about southerners than he has about other groups including Muslims. Sure he said racial slurs like sand n----r, camel jockey and the like, but honestly those kind of slurs only make him look bad and doesn't really hurt my feelings personally. However, him reducing the south to Dukes of Hazzard, pro-wrestling and possum kill while speaking gibberish in front of them is the ultimate insult to their intelligence.

I want to add that the reason I mention the story of step dad's friend is that his son didn't have much exposure to Islam growing up and his father (who also got married in a church to an atheist no less, not a believing Christian) didn't think to do anything until he got much older. I would say that situation is more cultural than religious, and we can't deny Acar Caner seemed to at least be pretty involved in the Turkish community. After nearly a decade of being non-custodial, his son converting to Christianity may have seemed like the last straw which made him feel like he lost his children.

I would say that my theory has merit because of Ergun's lies against his father. If Ergun really respected his father and looked up to him, he would not lie about him the way he did. Rather, its pretty clear that he was raised to hate his father, possibly by his grandmother. Do we have ANY pictures of his parents together? Do we know what was the reason for his parents divorce? Is such information accessible?

I think Ergun's biggest crimes are:

1) he put US soldiers and innocent Iraqis and Afghans in harms way by lying to our government,2) that he insulted his audience by reducing their culture to pro wrestling and Daisy Dukes,3) and that he openly lied about his father in a negative way, which the kind of lying that can NOT possibly be excused. Once you insult your parents, then you've lost all credibility

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